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Rethinking Reliability: Insights from Jennifer Chen
New Energy Economics board member and former Chair of the Colorado Public Utility Commission, Ron Lehr discusses why utility reliability planning needs to change—and how we can do better.
Episode 1
Quantifying Reserve Target Cost
Quantifying Reserve Target Cost
Power outages can cost billions—and even cost lives.
Ron Lehr explains why electricity reliability planning matters to everyone, not just utility companies.
Episode 2
Demand Side Resources: Reducing Capacity Needs
Demand Side Resources: Reducing Capacity Needs
Utilities still use an outdated formula to plan for reliability: capacity + 15%.
Ron Lehr breaks down why we should do better.
Episode 3
Economies of Scale in Renewable Energy
Economies of Scale in Renewable Energy
The grid looked reliable—until the storms hit.
Ron Lehr explains why we need more than just generation capacity to keep the lights on when extreme weather strikes.
Episode 4
Resource Adequacy: Balancing Supply and Demand
Resource Adequacy: Balancing Supply and Demand
What does smarter reliability planning look like? Ron Lehr walks through 6 principles from the Energy Systems Integration Group that offer a better path forward for our power grid.
Episode 5
Resource Adequacy: Balancing Costs and Reliability
Resource Adequacy: Balancing Costs and Reliability
Large energy users—like Fortune 500 companies—are asking utilities to improve reliability planning. Ron Lehr shares why corporate buyers care about resource adequacy and what they want to see change.
Episode 6
Resource Adequacy Beyond One Number
Resource Adequacy Beyond One Number
Regulation is the art of the question.”
Ron Lehr explains how smart regulators can push utilities to plan better, just by asking the right questions.
Episode 7
Balancing Reliability and Costs in Power Systems
Balancing Reliability and Costs in Power Systems
100% reliability sounds great—until you see the price tag.
Ron Lehr explains the economic tradeoff and why we need a balanced, cost-conscious approach to grid planning.
Episode 8
“San Diego Blackout: $8 Billion in 12 Hours”
“San Diego Blackout: $8 Billion in 12 Hours”
Just 12 hours of darkness cost $8 billion. Here's why the cost of NOT planning for reliability is staggering.
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Electric system reliability is fundamentally, and importantly, an economic issue. First, when the lights go out, particularly across large areas and for sustained periods of time, economic losses to...
Electric system reliability is fundamentally, and importantly, an economic issue. First, when the lights go out, particularly across large areas and for sustained periods of time, economic losses to...
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